ISV (International Student Volunteers) Reviews

Traveling to Thailand with ISV was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Everything was planned out so well, and the work we did was very meaningful. The other volunteers were so fabulous as well.

I loved my ISV trip to Australia. My conservation project taught me many valuable tools for living eco-friendly. The adventure tour was also amazing! I got to do so many things that I would have never done otherwise. I met great people and nice students.

I went to South Africa in the Summer of 2013 to work on a wildlife conservation program project at the Shingwedzi Cheetah and Wildlife Ranch through ISV! We worked hands on with cheetahs, African wild dogs, vultures, and more! The staff we worked with was amazing and taught us so much. I feel so much more prepared and knowledgeable for a future career in conservation work. My project leader took time to get to know each and every one of us and made all of our times there unique and memorable. The preparation prior to the trip was very organized and ISV staff was there to help me through the entire process of signing up with the program, flights, and packing. I will remember this two weeks for the rest of my life.

I volunteered with ISV in Costa Rica and it was honestly life changing! We did dolphin research in Gulfo Dulce which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The dolphins came right up to the boat and interacting with them like that was incredible. I learned so much about the environment, dolphins, and people in general. I'm a psychology major and learning about how dolphins (and of course people from other countries) interact has been so beneficial to my studies. I received credit for my trip too which is great! I made great friends who I still see and talk to from all over the US and Canada - overall had an amazing experience with ISV!

I had attended the five week programme that included a week of home stay experience and Spanish lessons. I really liked how there was a balance between doing the touristy stuff and being immersed in the local culture in this program. Although there wasn't much to do during the home stay apart from the spanish lessons I enjoyed the experience of living with a Costa Rican family and roaming around Heredia on my own, even getting to take a day trip to San Jose as well! I have learnt a lot during the volunteer program about working with children and enjoyed myself in the process. The adventure tour was at a good pace too, not too packed and yet not too relaxed, filled with enjoyable activities in it. Overall, I enjoyed myself during the program and it was a really good experience.

I had the chance to volunteer at the Ann Van Dyk cheetah centre and it was the best experience of my life. I got to be hands-on with the cheetahs and helped improve the conservatory! It was definitely rewarding and I would recommend to anyone this program. It was the greatest experience of my college career and it is always a topic of conversation.

This trip would be amazing for anyone interested in sustainability and green community development. The first two weeks were spent planting native tree species, pulling weeds, going to town council meetings in Kaikoura--one of the greenest towns on Earth, touring the recycling center, learning about the impact of waste on plants and animals, and visiting a natural baby seal sanctuary.

New Zealand, especially the South Island, is completely breath taking. Just keep in mind that southern and northern hemispheres run on opposite seasonal calendars.

ISV also does adventure tours, so after two volunteering weeks I spent two more traveling the islands and sky diving, kayaking, hiking on glaciers, caving and seeing glow worms, and zorbing.

I went on this ISV trip during the summer of 2003. It was an amazing experience working deep in the jungle for this tight knit community. It was a good idea to move host homes half way through the volunteer experience because we each got to experience different families and home types.

The work was physically demanding, which was great. We all felt that we were really contributing. There was also a lot of freedom at the end of the day to play.

The eco tourism portion was extremely educational as well.

I have shared my experience with ISV to countless people.

I loved this trip, I was able to impact Phillip Island, Australia and the Little Blue Penguins inhabiting the island. I loved every single minute of the conservation work I was able to do the first two weeks as well as listening to the speakers once a week. I got to repel off of a mountain, I learned how to surf in Byron Bay, I scuba dived in the Great Barrier Reef, and I was also able to immerse myself in Australia culture and food. ISV ignited a passion in me for conservation and traveling. I hope to be able to travel again one day and promote conservation in another country at the same time. Thanks ISV for the experience!

The program was great. Learned a lot and experienced a great deal. There was little planning, minimal care for safety, things were figured out on the spot. For the price I expected more, I think it's a bit over priced for the average person to afford.

However the people were nice and caring, they attempted to make a schedule and tried to always accommodate the group. The stay itself was rough, but it was a great learning experience.